Welcome to the first-ever episode of Pundit Daily Digest where we bring you a recap of the most newsworthy gist around the world.
Here are the five things you should catch up on before you start your day:
1. Neymar furious to miss final
PSG star forward Neymar Jr. will not play in the Coupe de France Final match against Monaco because of suspension.
Introduced as a substitute in the 86th minute, Neymar only played the last four minutes of the semi-final tie against Montpellier. But despite his short cameo, referee Jeremie Pignard handed him a yellow card in the match.
As a result of the accumulation of yellow cards, Neymar will not be available for the final on May 19.
The Brazilian took to social media to vent his frustrations.
“I would like to understand the reasoning of the guy who takes care of bookings in France! That deserves applause. What a mess.
“I play five minutes, I commit a foul and he gives me a yellow without even thinking,” Neymar wrote on his Instagram story message. “Thank you for suspending me for the final. I think it was personal.”
2. Ferran Torres overtakes Messi’s record
Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Newcastle on Friday night.
The seven-goal thriller saw the champions come from behind twice to see off Steve Bruce’s side.
With his treble at St James’ Park, Ferran Torres has surpassed Lionel Messi’s record as the youngest player to score a league hat-trick under Pep Guardiola.
21y 75d – Ferran Torres is the youngest player to score a league hat-trick for a Pep Guardiola team, with the previous-youngest being Lionel Messi against Tenerife in January 2010 (22y 200d). Company. pic.twitter.com/6CMzqLsGFL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 14, 2021
The present Barcelona captain was just 22 years, 200 days old when he scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 La Liga win for Guardiola’s Barcelona against Tenerife in 2010.
Ferran Torres has now eclipsed that record being only 21 years 75 days, 125 days younger than Messi was.
3. All eyes on Wembley for the FA Cup final
The stage is set at Wembley for Saturday’s FA Cup Final clash between Chelsea and Leicester City.
The tie would be the 140th final with both teams being the 117th different pairing.
The final would be Chelsea’s 15th FA Cup final with only Arsenal (21) and Manchester United (20) featuring in the final more times.
Do you know? Only the Gunners (14) and the Red Devils (12) have won the trophy more times than Chelsea (8). They hence have an opportunity to add to that tally.
Meanwhile, this is Leicester’s fifth appearance in the FA Cup final and it is only their first since 1969. However, despite their number of appearances, they have never won the trophy, making it the most appearances by a team without winning it.
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea face Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City on Saturday at 5.15pm Nigerian time. Who is your money on going into the tie?
4. Manchester City set new away record
It is now a common practice for Pep Guardiola sides to set and break records. The Catalan’s side set another record in Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Newcastle on Friday night.
Man City set the record for the longest ever unbeaten away run by a side in the top four tiers of English football after being unbeaten in their last 23 away games in all competitions. They overtook Notts County’s run of 22 games unbeaten in 2012.
City have also won their last 12 away league matches, the longest ever winning run by a team in the top four tiers of English league football since the formation of the Football League in 1888.
5. Gernot Rohr names 31-man provisional squad
Nigeria Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has named a 31-man provisional squad list for the upcoming international friendly match against Cameroon on June 4 in Vienna.
Amongst the called up players, there’s a first-time invitation for Abraham Marcus. Regulars like Ahmed Musa, Joe Aribo, Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho and Moses Simon were called up.
Crotone star forward Simy was also given the nod. See the complete list here.
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